Blind faith is honoured

By Lia Bichel
A MAN with Hallam roots is one of Australia’s worthy recipients listed on this year’s prestigious Queen’s Birthday Honour Roll.
Bashir Ebrahim received the honour on 8 June with an Order of Australia Medal for his 22 years of service to the nation’s blind and vision impaired community.
“It’s a humbling and flattering experience to be recognised for the work that you love and do,” he said.
Mr Ebrahim grew up in Hallam, and started his career with Guide Dogs Victoria before joining Guide Dogs Queensland in 1991.
He became manager of Rehabilitation Services in 2001 and helped Guide Dogs Queensland become an internationally recognised leader in the field, particularly orientation and mobility; and electronic travel and training.
He is also a member of the Queensland Vision Initiative.
A client of his nominated him for the Order of Australia Medal.
“I was surprised to be nominated,” Mr Ebrahim said.
“I feel extremely honoured to be recognised. I am so proud of my organisation. It is a fantastic service, in its philosophy and how it operates. And it’s extremely rewarding to work here.”
Mr Ebrahim’s work has allowed him to jetset across the world, speaking at conferences in Madrid, Spain, London, New Zealand and all over Australia; but he said the highlight of his career was watching people reach their goals.
“I get to work with a lot of different people, and it’s great to see them reach their full potential safely, gracefully and with dignity,” he said. “Being able to use your skills and knowledge to teach and improve others’ lives delivers enormous rewards.
“And working with my highly skilled and compassionate team of instructors and staff, is an honour- so the OAM is an exciting extra.”